Before its certification in the first half of 2024, Airbus and the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) collaborated to finish the automatic air-to-air refuelling (A3R) flight test campaign using the Airbus A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) and the F-15 fighter.
An RSAF A330 MRTT performed more than 500 automated wet and dry contacts with the Air Force’s entire fleet of receiver aircraft over three weeks in August. These encounters included the F-15SG aircraft, a modified variant of the F-15E Strike Eagle air-to-ground fighter jet built in the United States.
According to Jean-Brice Dumont, Head of Military Air Systems at Airbus Defence and Space, the collaboration between Airbus and the Republic of Air Force to develop the A330 MRTT has made it possible to bring the concept of air-to-air refuelling one step closer to becoming a reality. This new milestone will allow the Royal Saudi Air Force to become the first Air Force in the world to have a boom automatic refuelling capacity with all of its receivers. This capability can be extended to refuelling receivers from other nations, he continued; thus, the RSAF will be able to become the first Air Force in the world to have this capability.
Under the direction of the Spanish certifying authority, INTA (National Institute for Aerospace Technology), the flight tests with the F-15SG were carried out in Singapore. These tests encompassed the entirety of the operational AAR envelope and were carried out in various weather situations.
Nighttime automatic air-to-air combat using F-15s, F-16s, and MRTT aircraft
During the test campaign, further flights were conducted in night settings. These flights were carried out not only with F-15s but also with the RSAF’s A330 MRTT and F-16s as receivers for data collection. These flights aimed to finish developing the automated system and enable night capabilities with it.
The A330 MRTT was the first tanker in the world to be licenced for autonomous air-to-air refuelling operations in daylight conditions in July 2022. The F-16s and other A330 MRTTs served as receivers for these refuelling operations.
The autonomous refuelling system lessens the strain on the air-refuelling operator, enhances overall safety, and works to maximise air superiority by optimising the air-to-air refuelling transfer rate under various operational conditions.
With certification for aerial refuelling with boom and hose-and-drogue systems for F-15, F-16, F-35, A330 MRTT, AWACS, Eurofighter, and numerous more aircraft, the Airbus A330 MRTT has been combat-proven since 2014.
